Contents

Plot

"Oscar, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Mr. Winn and welcome to Fortuna Academy."(Miles glances at a notebook with student's names, adjacent to them various misbehaviors)"It is an alternative way to remember to discipline the students here every so often. As a famous man once said: "We witness that as you gain experience and success in being guided by the spirit, your impressions you feel can become more certain than your dependance on what you see or hear." Richard G. Scott. Well, anyways, instead of punishing you for what you did, I'll let you go. But fair warning though - should this occur again, I won't be happy."(Mr. Winn pats Oscar on the back and has him leave his office)"Okay... let's see who you really are, Oscar Miles."

—Mr. Winn

Oscar Miles is a 16-year old teenager who has been expelled from Eastward School in New Jersey after unintentionally burning down the school building - he narrowly avoids juvenile detention and his involvement is covered up. During Miles’ summer vacation, Joseph Miles arranges a meeting with Mr. Winn of Fortuna Academy and enrolls Oscar as an involuntary student. However, Miles’ father is killed in a traffic collision, leaving only Miles’ alcoholic mother to look after him. Knowing Fortuna is Oscar’s last chance to avoid juvenile detention, he prepares for the worst.

When school breaks in, Miles recognizes his friend Francis Kent from Eastward who has also enrolled into Fortuna and the two reconcile, although Miles becomes suspicious that Kent is hiding something: Miles also makes friends with Nicholas Lintz and develops an instant affection for Gabriel “Gabby” Tompkins. However, Miles and Kent are bullied into near-submission by the barrel-chested Vincent “Vince” Ross while attempting to save Jonas, a seventh-grader who he later befriends. Miles is taken by surprise when he learns that Tompkins is dating Kieran MacNeil, who has recently risen to popularity through use of saving Amadeus Li, a foreign exchange student from falling onto some train tracks.

Pamela Moser, the school principal hires student teacher Jessica Holland to work alongside the Grade 9 class, prominently Oscar, Kent, Lintz, Tompkins, Ross, MacNeil, Li and Genesis Maddox. During Mathematics class, Ross embarrasses Kent by tripping him flat-face onto the floor. Oscar attempts to fight back, but is defeated and is sent to Mr. Winn’s office. Oscar learns that Mr. Winn keeps a permanent record of student’s misbehaviours and gives him a lecture about spiritualism, but is oblivious to the fact that Ross was the suspect. After Oscar leaves, Mr. Winn attempts to investigate his academic record.

While walking home from school with Kent, they meet Genesis Maddox. Maddox, aware that Miles wants to cleanse Fortuna of any disorganization tips off a Grade 11 clique dubbed the Hellwolves, embedded in the school football team: Maddox reveals that her ex-boyfriend, Christian Wayne is the quarterback of the football team and that they should go to him in order to cleanse the Hellwolves.